GATE

Yes, candidates can get admission in University College of Engineering, Kakinada M.Tech without GATE since the University also accepts Andhra Pradesh PGECET exams. Candidates must apply for the exam on their official website and appear for the exam. 

Yes, SRMJEEE (PG) accepts GATE scores for admission. The GATE-qualified candidates are exempted from attempting the test. However, they must fill out the SRMJEEE PG application form and attend the SRMJEEE PG counselling process. The SRMJEEE PG application form will be available in three phases, and applicants can fill out the form as per their convenience. Candidates will be selected based on their GATE scores. 

The GATE opening and closing rank during the counselling determines the following -

• The GATE opening rank determines the highest rank of the candidates required to get admission to a particular programme and category during the counselling. 
• On the other hand, the GATE closing rank is determined as the lowest rank in GATE for the candidate to be admitted to a specific programme and category during the counselling. 

To know more about the GATE counselling 2025, read here - https://www.shiksha.com/engineering/gate-exam-counselling

To be eligible for the GATE 2025 COAP/CCMT counselling, candidates must fit the following criteria -

• Candidates must have a valid GATE score (2025/2024/2023)
• A bachelor's degree from a recognised institute. 
• A minimum qualifying percentage of 60% in the relevant discipline. 
• A relaxation of 5% is applicable for the reserved category candidates. 

To know the GATE 2025 counselling process in details, read here - https://www.shiksha.com/engineering/gate-exam-counselling

You can get admission in NIT but you may have to compromise with the place or the branch or both of them. 

Pursuing self financing M.Tech in VLSI from IIT Hyderabad is good as VLSI has scope in current industry and you are doing it from IIT, so it is better option rather than wasting 1 year.

Yes, the participating institutes will look for the COAP registration number on their M.Tech applications portal during admissions. Candidates who have applied for the admission to M.Tech in any of the participating institutes, will receive admission offers only via COAP. 

To access and take decision on the most preferred choice out of the offers (if any) made by participating institutes, each candidate should register and visit COAP. Without registering at COAP, the candidate will not be able to access the offers on COAP. 

No, You will not Qualify, Based on trends from previous years, a raw score of 20.69 in shift 2 for the GATE 2025 CSE exam is likely below the qualifying threshold for general candidates, whose cutoff typically ranges around 27 to 29.5 marks. Similarly, for OBC/EWS candidates, with expected cutoffs between 24.3 and 26.5, this score would probably not suffice. However, for those in the SC/ST/PwD category, where qualifying marks have been around 18 to 20, a score of 20.69 could potentially be within the qualifying range. It's important to remember that these estimates are based on past data and the actual cutoffs for 2025 might differ.